Rogelio Dejesus Castillo is charged with second-degree murder in the death of George Torres on Jan. 28, 2012. Torres had gone to the Castillo home looking to fight Castillo's brother, Joel, according to police.

MARK I. JOHNSONSTAFF WRITER

DELAND – A Saturday night fight in front of a rural house in Seville sparked a shooting that left a 17-year-old dead and the accused 26-year-old shooter on trial for his life.

Rogelio Dejesus Castillo sat in a courtroom Tuesday charged with second-degree murder and listened with the aid of a Spanish-language interpreter as prosecutors presented their opening argument to the jury.

Assistant State Attorney Carlos Vidal-Collazo told the panel the deceased, George Torres, had come to the residence he had once shared with Castillo on the evening of Jan. 28, 2012 looking for a fight with the defendant's brother, Joel Castillo.

During the altercation, as it became evident Torres was getting the better of Joel Castillo, Rogelio Castillo went and got his gun.

“He took out his pistol and pop, pop,” Collazo said.

Torres stopped fighting and ran.

“As he was running away – pop, pop, pop,” the prosecutor said as he described the three shots – one in the back of the head and two in the legs that struck Torres.

Torres died moments later in the back of an ambulance.

However, defense counsel Mathew Phillips disputed the state's version of the shooting saying it was Joel Castillo who fired the fatal shots.

“(Rogelio) Castillo did not cause the death of George Torres, but his brother, who has never been charged with the crime,” Phillips said adding the DNA evidence the state says proves Rogelio Castillo handled the gun, actually shows a mix of DNA that indicates more than one person touched the gun.